Fifth-wheel.



No. 715,051 Patented 1m. 2. I902.

A. susmrsou.

FIFTH WHEEL. (Applicatibn flledkune 25. 1902.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

10 Hffises Patented Dec. 2. I902.

FIFTH WHEEL. p flication filad June 25, 1902.)

N 0 s F A T s u G 7 5 5 7 0 N ZShoets-Shaet 2.

llu Model.)

I VIII/Ill! 11 aes Tn: nonms PETERS co. Pucnxuma. WASHINGTON, o. c.

U STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED GUSTAFSON, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS.

FIFTH-WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 715,057, dated December 2, 1902.

Application filed June 25, 1902. Serial No. 113,106. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED GUSTAFSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Aurora, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fifth-W'heels, of which the following is a specification.

The objects of this invention are to enable the body of the wheel to be made of soft wearing metal and the bearing parts to be made of hard non-wearing metal, to furnish bearing disks or plates of hard metal which can be readily applied and held in place, to furnish the requisite contact for the operation of the wheel, to improve the attachment or connection of the wheel with the axle, and toimprove generally the construction and operation of the several parts entering into the for mation of the fifth-wheel as a whole.

The invention consists in the features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top or plan view with the ends of the axle broken off; Fig. 2, a side elevation with the axle in section; Fig. 3, a bottom or underside view with the arms of the fifth-wheel broken off at the ends; Fig. 4, a detail in sectional elevation of the fifth-wheel and the axle with the arms of the fifth-wheel broken off at the ends; Fig. 5, a detail, being a bottom or underside view of the head of one section or division of the fifthwheel, with the arms at the ends broken off and with the top disk or plate of the upper bearing in position; Fig. 6, a top or plan view of the other section or division of the wheel with the bottom or under disk or plate of the upper bearing in position; Fig. 7, a similar view to Fig. 6 with the bottom or under disk or plate of the upper bearing removed; Fig. 8, a detail, being an under face or bottom view of the top plate of the lower bearing; Fig. 9, a detail, being a top or plan view of the bottom or under plate of the lower bearing; and Fig. 10, a front side elevation of the clip attaching the fifth-wheel as a whole to the axle.

The fifth-wheel is constructed of an upper section or division, an intermediate section or division, and a lower section or division, as usual. The upper section or division is made of soft metal, cast or otherwise, and formed with a central body A, a front head A, and rearwardly-extending and outwardly-spreading arms A as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The central body A has therein on its under face an annular depression or recess a, and the head A on its under face in j uxtarelation with the depression or recess a is cut out to form a semicircular groove or recess a with end walls as shown in Fig. 5. The annular depression or recess a has entered thereinto and secured therein the top disk or plate B, made of hardened steel or other suitable hard metal having pronounced wearing qualities and of an approximately frictionless nature. The disk-or plate B abuts against the face of the center A in the depression or recess a and is secured thereto by rivets or screws 1), so as to be permanent with the center and furnish the bearing and wearing face for the upper section or division of the fifth-wheel. The companion disk or plate 0 for the upper bearing is of the same diameter as the disk or plate B, and when the parts are together the two disks or plates .13 and O are in contact and furnish the bearing for the upper section or division of thewheel, and the plate 0 has depending from its center a sleeve or tubular wall 0 to guide and hold the plate in position in connection with a fastening rivet or screw 0, as shown in Fig. 4, and while a screw 0' is shown it is preferred to use a fixed rivet or stud the end of which can be upset into the countersink of the disk or plate, and this is also true of the screws b for attaching the disk or plate 13 in place.

The lower bearing of the fifth-wheel is formed of a disk or plate D, having at its center an upwardly-extending sleeve or wall d, coinciding with the sleeve or wall 0 of the disk or plate 0, and having on its under side a circumferential ridge or rim d, leaving a central depression or recess in the under face of the disk "or plate, and this disk or plate D, like the plates B and C, is to be made of hard steel or other suitable metal having pronounced wearing quality and but little fric' tion. The disk or plate D is centered and held in place by the sleeve or wall (1 and a suitable rivet or screw (1 and though a screw is shown a fixed rivet or stud is preferred,

with its end upsetinto the countersink of the disk or plate. The companion disk or plate E for the lower bearing has a wearing and bearing center of the same diameter as the diameter of the depression or recess in the under face of the disk or plate D for the adjacent faces of the two disks or plates to be in contact when the parts are assembled, as shown in Fig. 4. The bottom or under disk or plate of the lower bearing has a body E, integral with the center E, and rearwardlyextending arms E terminating in cross-ears e, for attaching purposes, and, as shown, the body E, circumferentially around the center E, has a bearing ledge or face a, engaging the under face of the rim (1 when the parts are assembled.

The sleeves or walls 0 and d of the respective disks or plates 0 and D enter into a socket F for the adjacent faces of the disks or plates and the sockets to abut against each other and have the socket furnish a firm support for the disks or plates. A king-bolt G is passed through the center A, the bearingplates B, G, D, and E, and through the sleeves or walls 0 and d and through the body E of the lower section or division of the fifthwheel, as shown in Fig. 4:, with the head g of the bolt abutting against the outer face of the center A and the nut g abutting against the under face of the body E, holding the parts of the fifth-wheel together when assembled and at the same time not interfering with the turning of one section or division, as required in use.

A clip for attaching the fifth-wheel to the axle is formed integral with the socket F in the arrangement shown in Fig. 6. This clip .consists of an upper plate H, having side wings or extensions and integral with the neckfof the socket, as shown in Fig. 7, and this plate H has on its upper face, formed therewith or fixedly secured thereto, a stop h,

f of the socket, forms the side plates or walls of the clip, and the plate H forms the upper plate or wall of the clip. A strap I underlies the axle J to complete the fastening of the stirrup or clip onto the axle, and this strap, as shown, consists of two arms i, joined together at the front end and outwardly spread at the rear end for the front end to be entered onto the stem h and be there secured by the nut b and for each end to enter on a bolt I,'having a nut 2', each bolt having its stem passing through an ear t on the rear face of the wings or back plate H of the maosv clip, as shown in Fig. 2, so that by tightening the nuts 72, and t" the clip will be drawn and held on the axle.

The disks or plates for both the upper and lower bearings, made of steel tempered or case-hardened or otherwise treated so as to be hard, furnish a mounting for the fifthwheel which is practically frictionless and which will wear for a greatlength of time, and by making these disks or plates separate and independent of the bodies of the fifth-wheel sections ordivisions and attaching them to their respective bodies in operative relation it will be seen that the requirement of hardenin g the bodies to present a wearing-face is dispensed with, enabling the bodies to be made of soft metal, which is desirable in the construction of fifth-wheels, reducing the expense of manufacture and enabling the fitting'of the disks or plates to be performed independent of the body.

The parts are readily united and assembled, the bearing disk or plate B is entered and secured within the depression or recess in the center A, the disks or plates 0 and D are located on and secured to the socket F for the disk or plate 0 to properly coact with the disk or plate B in the operation of the wheel, the disk or plate E is entered into the depression or recess therefor in the under face of the disk or plate D for the two disks or plates to coact in the operation of the wheel, and the several parts are united and held in operative relation by the king-bolt Gassembliug the parts ready for use. The fifth- ,wheel in use is attached to the axle by the clip formed of the plates H, H, and H by entering the axle into the-space between the plates, applying the retaining-bar I, and en tering the nuts onto the stems, clamping the clip to the axle. x

It is a requisite for fifth-wheels that the bearing-faces should be hard and practically frictionless, which is a diflicult undertaking to accomplish where the upper and lower bearings have one of the disks or plates formed with the bodies of the sections or divisions; but by making the bearing-plates separate from the bodies it will be seen that these plates can be hardened as required without any difficulty, thus enabling hardened bearing-faces to be furnished for use in fifth-wheels.

It is only necessary for the fifth-wheel of this invention to use hard material for the bearing-plates, leaving the bodies of the sections or divisions to be made of cheaper metal or material without in any way impairing the efficiency of the wheel as to the wearing quality, reduction of friction, and operativeness of the parts.

The top and bottom disks or plates of the upper bearing instead of having flat. faces, as shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, could have a recess or depression formed in the upper face of the bottom or under plate into which the top disk or plate enters, as shown in the arrangement of Fig. 11. This construction while furnishing the same wearing-faces forms a safeguard against the ready admission of dust and dirt, the same as the rim (1 and the raised face E of the lower bearing. The disks or plates constituting the upper and lower hearings in either form of construction and arrangement are separable plates and distinct from the bodies of the upper and lower sections or divisions and the intermediate socket or division of the fifth-wheel, and this feature of separable bearing disks or plates is an essential one in carrying out my invention, as the wear in use is on the plates, and when worn to an extent to be useless the disks or plates can be removed and the sections or divisions be supplied with new disks or plates, enabling the fifth-wheel to be repaired by replacement of the worn disks or plates, leaving the bodies of the sections or divisions intact.

What I regard as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a fifth-wheel consisting of an upper, an intermediate and a lower section or division, the combination of an upper bearing formed of a hardened top disk or plate and a hardened bottom disk or plate with the top disk or plate entered into and secured in a depression on the under face of the upper section or division of the wheel and with the bottom disk or plate mounted on and secured to the upper end of the intermediate section or division of the wheel, a lower bearing formed of a hardened top disk or plate and a hardened bottom disk or plate with the top disk or plate mounted on and secured to the lower end of the intermediate section or division of the wheel and the bottom disk or plate on the upper face of the lower section or division of the wheel, and a pivot-bolt common to the three sections or divisions and the upper and lower bearings, substantially as described.

2. In a fifth-wheel consisting of an upper section or division, a lower section or division and an intermediate socket, the combination of an upper bearing formed of a hardened top disk or plate and a hardened bottom disk or plate with the top disk or plate entered into and secured in a depression on the under face of the upper section or division of the wheel and the bottom disk or plate mounted on and secured to the socket, a lower-bearing formed of a hardened top disk or plate and a hardened bottom disk or plate with the top disk or plate mounted on and secured to the lower end of the socket, and the bottom disk or plate on the upper face of the lower section or division of the wheel, and a pivot-bolt common to the three sections or divisions and the two bearings, substantially as described.

3. In a fifth-wheel, the combination of an upper and lower bearing each composed of two hardened disks or plates, an upper section or division to the under face of which one of the disks or plates composing the upper bearing is attached, an intermediate section or division to which the inner disks or plates are fixedly connected to lie separate from each other, and a pivot-bolt common to both bearings and to the sections or divisions of the wheel, substantially as described.

4. In a fifth-wheel, the combination of a socket having formed therewith the body of a clip for securing the socket to an axle, two interior hardened disks or plates of the bearing secured one at each end of the socket, two exterior disks or plates one contacting with each of the interior disks or plates, and means for holding the disks or plates in contact, substantially as described.

5. In a fifth-wheel, an upper head or plate having in the under face a stop groove or recess, a hardened disk or plate secured to the upper head, an intermediate section or socket, a clip formed therewith, a hardened disk or plate secured to the intermediate section and contacting with the disk or plate in the upper head, a lug on the head or top Wall of the clip entering into the stop groove or recess and limiting the turning of the fifthwheel in either direction, and a pivot-bolt for holding the disks or plates of the bearing in cooperative relation, substantially as described.

ALFRED GUSTAFSON.

Witnesses:

OSCAR W. Bonn, \VALKER BANNING. 

